Former Manchester United defender Brandon Williams: "I was truly naive and foolish"

Former Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams admits that his earlier errors sent both his professional and personal life into a bleak chapter. After receiving a suspended prison term for dangerous driving, dealing with off-field troubles, and enduring a phase where he no longer loved the game, the 25-year-old is resolute about rebuilding from scratch.

Sitting in the lobby of a Manchester apartment building, Brandon Williams reflected on his football journey with a mix of emotions: from the highs of making 51 appearances for Manchester United to the lonely, dark times when he could barely get out of bed and thought he had fallen out of love with football.

Williams admits he has become a cautionary tale about what can happen to a young player thrust into the spotlight at one of the world's biggest clubs without being fully prepared to handle the accompanying temptations and pressures.

"I've learned from my mistakes. I take full responsibility for everything that happened. That's why I always tell myself: 'I got myself into this mess, and I'm going to get myself out of it,'" Williams shared.

From a promising Manchester United youngster to a bitter turning point

Williams was born in Harpurhey, a tough area of Manchester. He joined Manchester United at the age of seven and worked his way through the youth ranks before being given a chance in the first team.

In September 2019, Williams made his first-team debut in a penalty shootout victory over Rochdale in the English League Cup.

"It was incredible. People always ask me if I was nervous. It's hard to explain if you've never experienced it. I never felt pressure or fear. Only excitement and anticipation. You're being asked to step onto the pitch, something I had been doing for 12 years. I just thought about playing my game," Williams recalled.

The 2019-20 season quickly became the peak of the young defender's career. He made his Premier League debut against Liverpool in October 2019 and scored his first goal for United the following month.

Williams was also named "Man of the Match" in the Europa League win over Partizan Belgrade. Then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised his young charge: "This boy is fearless. He's as brave as a lion and he won us the game."

Around that time, former CEO Ed Woodward revealed that Williams had overtaken Luke Shaw to become the club's first-choice left-back. For Williams, everything happened at lightning speed. At the time, he was still living with his mother in a social housing unit in Harpurhey.

The rapid rise to fame made things difficult for Williams, not just for himself but also for his family. "I found it very hard, especially since I'm from Manchester. It wasn't just me affected, but my whole family too," he said.

Just as his career was taking off, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and football came to a halt. Williams recalled a funny yet unique image from that time. "We were all sitting in front of laptops, learning and working via Zoom. The other players were in big mansions with pools and gyms, while I was in my bedroom at my mum's house, using a suitcase as a weight," he laughed.

When the season resumed in June, he felt his fitness had dropped compared to his teammates. That was also when Williams decided to move out and live on his own. "To this day, that's one of the worst things I've ever done. I should have stayed," he admitted.

Williams was just 19 at the time. "I think a 19-year-old player moving out of home, playing for United, there are so many things that can go wrong. I was too naive. I wasn't aware of many things. I should have stayed with my parents to help keep me grounded."

After moving into a larger house, Williams said people would often come and go. The parties and the surrounding relationships gradually became distractions that he now recognizes were unhealthy.

He also acknowledged that his parents—mother Lisa, who still runs The Snack Attack café in Harpurhey, and father Paul, a window fitter—played a key role in keeping him from going too far off the rails.

From a starter to feeling like an outsider

The following season, Williams' opportunities dropped significantly. He made only 14 appearances, starting just five matches.

After losing his place at United, Williams was loaned to Norwich City for the 2021-22 season, when Norwich was in the Premier League. Living more than four hours away from home was difficult, but he was grateful for the chance to play regularly in the first team.

Returning to United, Williams faced injuries and a new manager, Erik ten Hag. Over the entire season, he played just five minutes. What bothered Williams most was being left out of the squad without clear explanation. "The hardest part is when you're not told anything and you're just left in the dark. At that point, you're just a passenger," he said.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, Williams hoped things would change after playing in Manchester United's pre-season friendlies in the United States. But back in England, he continued to be unused. "I thought: 'What's going on?'" Williams said.

Williams then sought playing time and joined Ipswich Town on loan, where he worked with manager Kieran McKenna, who had known him from their time at United.

The start at Ipswich was positive. Williams believed he was playing his best football since the 2019-20 season. But around October and November, things began to change.

"Kieran could see I wasn't myself. After a game on New Year's Day away at Stoke, he said: 'I want you to go back to Manchester and take two weeks off. I want you to come back as Brandon, I don't want to see this Brandon.'"

Williams agreed. But he never returned to Ipswich to play.

While Ipswich earned promotion to the Premier League that season, Williams did not play another game. He stayed in Manchester as his off-field issues worsened, including troubles involving friends.

Williams said he was supported at the time by psychologist Michael Farrell, who had worked with him at United's academy. "In the morning, he would come to my apartment door and say: 'Brandon, come on, let's go get coffee.' Because the reality was I was just lying in bed all day."

That support gave Williams a reason to get out of bed and reminded him to stop feeling sorry for himself. Friends, including fellow players who had grown up with him at United's academy, were also there for him during the tough times.

Leaving Manchester United, a suspended sentence, and a "wake-up call"

In the summer of 2024, Williams officially left United after his contract expired, ending a 16-year association with the club.

At first, he tried to remain calm. "At the time, I just thought: 'Well, what's done is done.' But I was in a very dark place."

A few months later, the sense of loss truly hit him. "Then I thought: 'Oh my God, what have I done?' I realized that was all I had known since I was seven years old. It was painful, especially when you're alone and can only think about it. It's a very dark place."

Williams even stopped loving football. "I didn't want to play anymore. It was very difficult. But I knew I had to train to deal with the mental issues. I knew I had to do something."

He had no intention of returning to football for a whole year. Until the start of the new year, the longing for the pitch began to return. "I thought: 'Okay, I miss football. I'm ready to come back, ready to return to football.'"

As his career plummeted, Williams' off-field problems continued to pile up.

In May 2025, he was given a 14-month suspended prison sentence for two years, along with 180 hours of community service, after pleading guilty to dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for three years.

According to the UK Crown Prosecution Service, the incident occurred on August 20, 2023. Williams was driving a female passenger in an Audi A3, reaching speeds of up to 99 mph (about 159 km/h) in a 70 mph zone.

At the time of the incident, he had a balloon in his mouth. The Audi then collided with a Ford Fiesta and hit a central reservation.

Looking back at the crash, Williams believes it was a turning point that made him mature. "It made me grow up as a person and realize this is real life, not GTA or something. It really was a wake-up call."

Another issue mentioned in court was nitrous oxide, commonly known as "laughing gas." The court was told Williams had used the substance, and during the crash, a balloon was in his mouth. However, according to court information, he was not using nitrous oxide immediately before the collision.

Williams admitted he regrets having used laughing gas. "Looking back at myself now, I think: 'I was such an idiot.' That's not what an athlete does, not what a footballer does, and not what a grown man does. It was stupid stuff."

He also wants to warn others about the dangers of the substance. "I've seen people who can't walk anymore. And it can start with just one balloon. It's terrible."

In court, Williams' lawyer, Richard Littler KC, described his client as someone who was "poorly guided about the pitfalls of being a young, high-earning footballer."

Williams admitted this was one of the biggest issues. "It puts a lot on your shoulders. Not many people have been through what I've been through, so it's hard. You're at a club with global influence, yet sometimes you feel incredibly lonely."

According to Williams, at such a young age, it's not easy to distinguish right from wrong when you suddenly have money and freedom in your hands.

Williams hopes his story can serve as a warning to other young players. He believes big clubs should offer business education programs for young players in their first few years, or require them to save a portion of their income and only access it when they turn 21.

He also suggests that young players should meet with a former player who has gone through similar circumstances at the same club.

Currently, Williams is trying to rebuild his career. Last season, an injury limited him to just one appearance for Hull City, though he still had positive experiences at the club.

During this pre-season, Williams has been training with Rotherham United, a team that plays three divisions below Manchester United.

He doesn't yet know if Rotherham will offer him a contract. The last time Williams played a full 90 minutes was in November 2023, when he was at Ipswich Town against West Bromwich Albion.

But at 25, the defender doesn't want to give up. "I've let a lot of people down, to be honest. I also want to prove a lot of people wrong. The only thing left I want to do in life is get back on the pitch and show everyone what I can do. My grandma always reminds me. She has a photo frame with pictures of me playing at 18, 19, 20, and 21. Every time I visit, she points at it and says: 'I want you to be like that again.' That's my motivation."

From a talent once seen as the future of Manchester United, Brandon Williams has been through a turbulent journey: fame too early, money and freedom too fast, wrong choices, mental health issues, legal penalties, and a period when he almost completely lost his love for football.

But at 25, he still has a chance to rewrite his story.

And this time, Williams understands that the road back will not be paved with the same cheers as when he first entered the United first team. It will start with the smallest things: training, discipline, patience, and responsibility for his own choices.